How long does it take for a pineapple to grow from planting to flowering and fruiting?
SummaryThe growth cycle of pineapple is about 3-4 years, with 4 harvest seasons: spring fruit is picked in April-May, summer fruit in June-July, autumn fruit in October-November, and winter fruit in December-January of the following year. However, pineapple is a cross-pollinated plant, easy to plant but not suitable for fruiting, so when planting, it is best to plant several of them, to avoid the pineapple having no pollinating plants after flowering and being unable to bear fruit.
The growth cycle of pineapple is about 3-4 years, and a 4-year 3-crop system or a 3-year 2-crop system can be used when planting. Pineapple generally has 4 harvest seasons: those that mature in April-May are spring fruit; those that mature in June-July are summer fruit, also called the main crop; those that mature in October-November are autumn fruit, and those that mature in December-January of the following year are winter fruit.
Notes on Planting Pineapple
The crown of the pineapple has a growth point and roots relatively easily in water, so it is fairly easy to keep alive when planting. However, pineapple is a cross-pollinated plant, so when planting, it is best to plant several of them, so that the pineapple may bear fruit after flowering. If only one pineapple is planted, with no other plant available to pollinate it, then the pineapple certainly cannot bear fruit.
Pineapple Planting Methods
1. Double-row style
Double-row single-plant planting, with the bed and ditch together 1.5m wide, which helps the roots spread outward. The plant and row spacing on the bed is relatively even, the stem bases press against each other, and the leaves can spread out into a hemispherical surface, making full use of sunlight. It also easily forms a “self-shading” environment between the rows, reducing the number of weeds in the ditch and making daily management easier.
When planting pineapple, the ditch width is kept at about 1m-1.1m, and the small row spacing is kept at 40-50cm. The plant and row spacing is adjusted according to different planting densities. Generally, when the planting density is 3500-4000 plants/mu, the plant and row spacing can be kept at about 20cm; when the planting density is 4500 plants/mu, the plant and row spacing is best kept at 15cm.
2. Three-row single-plant arrangement
The bed and ditch together are 1.7m wide, the bed surface is 1.2m wide, and the small row spacing is kept at about 35-40cm. The plant and row spacing is adjusted according to different planting densities, mostly around 20-25cm. With this planting method, the individual nutritional area of the pineapple plants is relatively even.
3. Four-row style
A wide bed of 2m is mostly used, planted in a wide-narrow row arrangement. The wide row is 1m, the ditch width is 0.5m, the narrow row is 0.5m, and the ditch width is 0.2m. On the small bed surface formed, the plant and row spacing is best kept at about 25cm, and the planting density is kept at 4500-5000 plants/mu.
With this planting method, there are ditches on the bed. After the pineapple plants close their rows, the small ditches can be used to retain and drain water, which is good for pineapple root growth. The relatively wide large row spacing makes manual planting management easier, and the leaves on both sides of the narrow row spacing are less likely to be damaged by humans, and the probability of leaves being damaged by frost is also reduced. Generally, large fruits are obtained from planting in these two rows. When planting, attention should be paid to timely drainage and irrigation of the orchard to prevent waterlogging and drought and ensure normal pineapple growth.
Daily Management Matters
On the premise of not affecting fruit growth and development, carry out appropriate removal and retention of suckers on the fruit tree plants, and timely flower forcing and fruit spraying, so as to promote flowering and improve fruit weight and quality. After all the small flowers have withered, spray the fruit with 50 mg/liter gibberellin plus 0.5% urea solution, and after 20 days spray 70 mg/liter gibberellin plus 0.3% urea solution.
When the fruit develops to 70% ripe, spray the fruit with 300 mg/liter ethephon for ripening, to ensure uniform fruit ripening.